Mine is watching eating challenges on YouTube while I'm working out on my stationary bike. For some reason they don't trigger me at all and I just love watching people cram 25,000 calories worth of fast food, cookies, pasta, pizza, etc into their mouths. EriktheElectric is my favorite. I think, in an odd way, watching this stuff sort of scratches the itch for me of wanting/needing to eat junk myself. I see these people eating so much crap that they feel physically ill and I'm like, "I'm good with a salad, thanks!"
Anyone else have a strange weightloss habit?
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I've recently really started enjoying nature walks, but not in the sense where I have to keep a pace. I've been up the nearest mountain to me (980ish feet) twice in two weeks while listening to Matthew McConaughey's audiobook. Dude has had an interesting life and the last thing I'm thinking about is food for a few hours. I'll take plenty of breaks when I feel like it and not focus on intensity, just focus on existing.
Once I'm home I've burned 1000+ calories and feel like my weight doesn't hold me back, like despite the fact I'm still far from a healthy weight, if I can do that hike then I can do anything else. It's both a distraction and a bit of a recharge for my motivation.
I loved him in True Detective season 1! I've been biking on my stationary bike since early Jan but just about a week ago got into walking 10k steps a day in addition and I'm really loving it. No real elevation for me yet though, I mostly just walk the bike path by the waterfront near me or around the city (I don't have a car to get to any trails). You're an inspiration!
Thank you so much! Honestly a waterfront bike path sounds awesome, that's a great way to get steps in and enjoy some fresh air :) True Detective S1 is legendary! Especially Matthew. I strongly recommend his audiobook if you get the chance, his voice makes the trails go by quite quickly 😄
My 600lb life makes me really want to watch my portion sizes
Not to shame anyone, but every time I watch (which is often) I remind myself why I can’t continue to eat all the things. I had an extended family member get nearly that large and I do not want to go there!
I know TLC is a meme, but I genuinely find myself rooting for them to make positive changes.
Except for Garreth. IYKYK
Fuck you Garreth you sack of shit.
Dude FUUUUUUUUUUUCK that POS! His wife is easily my favorite person on the show. She had goals and met them despite his constant abuse and sabotage. She also grew to be the mother her daughter deserved.
Was that Zsalynn’s (I know I butchered that spelling) sack of crap husband? He was a piece of work.
Zsalynn is a gem and deserves way better than him
I don't know, please tell me! I just found Garreth Love after prison. That can't be right lol
I think it's like, season 2. Zsalynn's walking compost bag I hesitate to call a husband
I haven’t watched it for a while. Lost 95 pounds and am very slowly losing another 5 so I can hit the big hundo…
But I’d always remind myself that I can eat whatever I want. Just not every day, and only a reasonable portion.
I used to eat fast food multiple times a day. Now I enjoy it maybe twice a week.
A related funny story. I've become a bit of a gym rat since the pandemic started. My first gym was walkable from my apartment, in a town square with a bunch of restaurants. I'd regularly eat out twice a week because the food was *right there* and I was hungry, because gym. They were midrange options so not total junk.
That gym closed, and I drive to the new one. The *only* thing next to new gym is McDonalds and Taco Bell. I find that hilarious.
But the even funnier thing is that I've been going there for *two years* and never set foot in that McDs or Taco Bell.
Willpower.
There’s a donut shop literally attached to my local Planet Fitness.
I think it’s fucking cruel lol.
At this point it’s not even willpower. It’s just my eating habits.
Several weeks ago, there was a thread on r/truckers about how someone saw a driver wheezing his ass off in the bathroom, his feet nearly purple. I posted a link to this classic blog entry which was responded to dozens going "holy FUCK, this is enough for me to put down the soda!" as the light switch collectively flipped.
Although the dude in that story has type 1 diabetes, which isn't related to diet at all.
No, but the eg was it was undiagnosed and out of control so he had dkm. And type 2 is very similar, just diff beginnings.
It also applies to T2, and it is referenced in there.
I really dislike the show. For once it always feels so stupid that they make morbidly obese people travel for days to texas (which is famously in the central US ...) just to get given some basic tests, a book about recipes (which are stupid btw) and some target to lose x pounds in a few months.
Travelling for like 3 days is a huge risk for people of this size not even mentioning that they will probably if they get in a car crash because they are in the trunk with no safety at all.
Basically there is nothing to learn from their journey or the doctor except eat basically nothing for a few weeks and get surgery and it usually ends at the point where the real weightloss starts.
I imagine that's not all they are doing over there, we probably just get to see a portion of it. Multiple types of tests and blood works, maybe further private interviews/a therapy session, and probably needing to sign a few important papers.
It makes good TV, that's probably why they do it.
Then they always make people move, which is a big deal! I hope they subsidize that.
What would scare me watching the show is seeing the larger people get out of cars, because my phobia is turning my ankle and such and falling (since it has happened before).
This and the British show Supersize vs Superskinny. (You can watch it on you tube). Both of those shows keep me in check.
May I add the UK show ‘Secret eaters’?
Secret Eaters is my guilty pleasure. I remember watching a guy saying he was eating a healthy breakfast because it was just cereal. But it was like half a box, with heavy cream (not milk), and he added jelly and a banana to it if I recall.
I also feel so bad for the people who essentially turn out to be closet alcoholics.
Ah, the infamous 2500-calorie bowl of cereal… I remember that so well!
I still remember a lady who was convinced her hormones were the reason she couldn’t lose weight because all she ate were salad. But it turned out they were all horrifically high in calories and she just refused to believe them and kept on eating them after the show.
Yeah, I've seen this one, too. Lol
I used to love when they would put the weeks worth of food down the tube, so wasteful but such a good visual reference, I was sad when they stopped.
Came to say this, its a little tedious compared to my 600lb life but definitely keeps me focused
I started this journey watching that show as well. Made the snackies I brought down for tv time much less appetizing, until I was having either hot tea or cut veggies instead
When I was at my smallest I would regularly watch My 600 Pound Life while eating frozen yogurt. It was my little treat at the end of many long days.
Why do I have the exact same specific situation of eating frozen yogurt while watching my 600 pound life?? Too funny
Totally. I've been watching a lot of Sean of Steel's commentary on the show. It's good for a laugh, but not too cruel.
Long live the King. We stan SOS in this apartment ❤️
I haven’t wanted it in a looooong time (maybe 10+ years), but I used to watch the Biggest Loser Australia and I used to find that quite motivating. I’ve thought about watching it recently and I don’t know how I feel about it now, can sometimes be a bit exploitative.
I didn't even purposely do this but I was watching Kitchen Nightmares every night and didn't want to snack at all. I also stopped ordering take out.
Hahaha omg same
A real eye opener for me
Same! I put it on when I’m craving carbs
Wife and I watch together regularly.
Interesting question. Its not something I began doing purely for weightloss, but something i've always enjoyed & noticed the benefits of it in helping my weightloss so ive doubled down & now do it as often as possible instead of once in a while.
I really struggle to "go on a walk" with the only goal in mind to move forward & nothing else. I find I really need some sort of other goal, purpose to it.
I go foraging. Right now its mushroom & asparagus season. I drive out to public land with woods, forest, hills, prairie, streams and I walk. Up & down hills, squatting to pass under low branches, running away from cows...Its a lot more intense than a neighborhood stroll & I am so preoccupied with my surroundings that I can do this intense walk/hike for hours without noticing that im exercising.
It keeps me out of the house (where my kitchen lives), which supports my diet. It does wonders for my mental health, I feel like a new person after i've spent the whole evening prancing through the forest, skipping over logs & combing the ground for natures healthiest foods. I take pictures of neat things I see, like a dead log sitting on the brownest back drop but its completely covered in the brightest green velvety moss, the contrast is breathtaking.
When its not asparagus or morel mushroom season, I have a book, about foraging in the Midwest, it has tons of photos of plants, what they are used for, medicinal & nutritional purposes, how to prepare them. I take the book with me & when I see something more interesting than a dandelion I sit for a bit & research it & decide if im gonna eat it later.
But I would classify all of this as a "weightloss hobby".
That's so cool! It's fiddlehead season in Vermont right now, so maybe I'll go see if I can find some on my next walk (for those who don't know, fiddleheads are baby ferns which are delicious when cooked). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddlehead
This! My husband and I each lost about 45 pounds and have been foraging since the pandemic. It gets us out of the house and on an “Easter egg” hunt. We can walk for hours. We are nearing the end of ramp season here. Have not found morels, asparagus or fiddleheads. Believe me, we look! I’m jealous of you who find them! Ramps are amazing. I made batches of ramp butter and ramp pesto which I freeze to enjoy the rest of the year. I found golden oysters yesterday.
Yay! Have fun! Vermont has a TON of public land. Im jealous.
Excuse me, what? May I also live in your fairytale land please 😭 Your life is my dream
😁 Aw, that's nice. But surely you've got access to places like this? Maybe I take my access for granted. There is an app called "onX", I downloaded it like 2 days ago. It tells you who owns everything often gives numbers, but some are not listed, but a quick google will tell u what to dial. I wanted to be able to ask people if I could forage on their property. Perhaps that could gain you access to places you would enjoy exploring. It also tells you about wildlife management areas, which is government maintained land intended for the public to enjoy. I know some states have more than others, but im somewhat sure all states have these programs. Without the app if you were to Google "(state name) public land access", you will likely be directed to a website with maps & you can request a booklet of the maps & they highlight all the public land available. I keep my book in my vehicle for reference when I don't have cell phone service.
This is awesome. I wish I knew more about how to find edible things 😂. Documenting interesting things you see is so fun. I’ve been re-organizing my whole photo library this week and it’s fun to see little things I noticed on walks or runs. Reminds me of how I thought about things at the time, and sometimes how I felt on that particular workout
This sounds amazing! Keep enjoying those foraging walks.
Going to stores and trying on clothes. I try out different styles, all the styles! I never got to experience that as a teenager and really began to hate shopping because nothing would fit me.
I still have a lot of weight to lose and muscle to gain, but I am actually starting to enjoy trying on clothes. It's awesome because everything I own fits and looks way better already :)
Yes! I finally like the way I look in crop tops and shorts. 😁
I love this idea! And glad that you feel so much better about clothes now. I'm currently at the stage where I drown myself in oversized clothing and haven't had the courage to try anything new. I'm definitely going to be following your tip now.
This one hits close, finally can rock my goth/metalhrad aesthetic without lloking like starfire's daughter lol i almost cry when size M-L fitted after 5 years of wearing 2XL and XL
Oooh that's a fun one!
Looking at my bones and veins peaking out after years of being hidden by fat.
I can't stop touching my collarbones!
I can't stop starting at my legs. They're not long or in any way one of my better features, but when I throw off my sheets in the morning, my brain goes, "Look at those lil' leggies!!"
Can you cross yours yet? I’ve been doing it constantly, it’s so fun to be able to put it all the way over.
YES
Omg, I'm constantly doing it! I've even started leaning over my crossed legs to get to stuff on the floor or far away. It blows my mind
Those kneecaps!
I know that feeling! I distinctly remember when i didn't have any.
I now have visible biceps for the first time in my life… I flex them a LOT! 🤣
Gains through loss!
I’m always flexing my arms now and looking down. It’s my greatest joy of weightloss. My veiny arms.
I hope people don't notice how much time I spend touching my forearms, or the bottom of my ribcage. I am like half way to my goal, things are gonna get weird when summer ends.
Same staring at my hands, knuckled, veins it's cool
Every so often I see a vein in my calf poking out saying hello. But the ones on my arms wow me at random times.
Yeah I could definitely spend an extended period of time admiring my collarbones and veins since I had never seen them until now.
Truth! I just noticed a visible vein on my calf recently and I was almost a bit freaked out by it. I can't remember ever having visible veins there. Kind of excited to wonder where I'll see more as I continue to lose weight.
i don’t see any popping up on my arm yet, but i noticed my hands got slimmer and there are more visible veins on the back of my hands and my wrists
Making increasingly elaborate and bizarre protein pots
I need to hear more
I'm regularly looking for ways to turn snack foods into protein bombs.
One little secret is that with a high speed blender, you can puree tofu with a little bit of water and it gets creamy. Add some nutritional yeast (yes, I stole that from the vegans, k thx) and now you have a cheddar cheese flavored dip.
The other day I took that and blended in a jar of salsa. Boom. Salsa con "queso". Stuff was pretty bomb, I was proud of that one.
I made a buffalo chicken dip in the same manner. It felt super nasty but was actually pretty healthy.
That sounds so good! WhAts your go to Tofu for blending?
Brand wise or firmness? Brands I don't care about. Firmness levels are all about moisture content -- less firm = more moisture and less tofu. More firm = less moisture and more tofu.
This is going to sound counterintuitive -- while you need moisture to blend it, the thing is if you're buying the silken stuff, you're paying for a lot of water. I am looking for the protein, so I pay for the extra firm stuff and then water it down. It's the same price, so I may as well pay for the protein and BYO water.
Side note, 'cause I just noticed this: I bought some SoyBoy smoked tofu, and it came in a really small pack. $ / oz, it seemed kind of expensive. Then I looked at the protein content (44 g / 8 oz pack) and realized they compressed the hell out of it to get all the water out. So it "looks" expensive, but if you're after the protein, it's definitely there. (Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but I legit didn't know.)
Same.
Please elaborate
Protein powder blended with plant milk (I did everything from oat to potato), flavours (cocoa and date water for chocolate fudge brownie, coffee and vanilla for tiramisu) Chopped nuts, fruit on top, lemon curd, rice pudding theme, apple pie theme, layers of biscuit, cereal, yoghurt, coconut, ground almonds marzipan, blueberry compote, banana muffin, cookie dough, anything I can think of to make a layered tasty pot of 40+g protein and 300ish calories. It's fun.
I forgot I actually did a creme brulee one and torched it at the table, my partner was utterly bemused.
Please drop the recipes for the rice pudding, layers of biscuit, and blueberry compote 🤤
Going on long walks while listening to audiobooks or informational content.
Long walks while playing Pokemon Go and listening to podcast for me lol.
I play PoGo too! It does make you walk just a liiiiitle farther than you wanted to to get to a gym or a route.